1. Field
One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to ultrasound systems, and more particularly, to ultrasound systems and methods for providing change information of a target object that has undergone radiofrequency ablation (RFA).
2. Description of the Related Art
When tumors occur in a target object (e.g., the liver) inside a living body, the tumors are typically removed by non-surgical method or surgical treatment. Since the surgical treatment usually removes a tumor by incising a surface of a living body, the cut surface is so wide as to leave a scar thereon and takes a long time to heal. Furthermore, the tumor is likely to recur, and in this case the tumor has to be removed with surgery again, thereby causing pain in a living body and considerable economic burden and health risk.
Recently, non-surgical techniques have been commonly used to remove tumors. Examples of non-surgical techniques may include transarterial chemoinfusion (TACE), percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI), systemic chemotherapy, and local ablation therapy. Among these, the local ablation therapy is known as the most effective technique for providing short-term treatment and improving a long-term survival rate. Some examples of the local ablation therapy are RFA, microwave endometrial ablation (MEA), and laser ablation. The RFA is the most effective treatment modality.
The RFA is a treatment technique that destroys only a tumor by application of RF-generated heat without incision to thereby cause necrosis. The RFA involves inserting a needle-tip electrode into a tumor within a living body, supplying RF from an RF generator to the needle-tip electrode, and burning the tumor with RF-generated heat to ablate it.
A conventional technique provides information about a progress of an RFA process by setting markers on ultrasound images obtained before and after the RFA process or superimposing ultrasound images obtained before and after the RFA process. Thus, the conventional technique has drawbacks in that it is difficult to consistently observe the progress of RFA from different planes and positions during RFA and accurately observe it due to gas bubbles created during the RFA.